Saturday, January 16
Macon, Ga.
2 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
Western Carolina
Photo by: Kayla Davis
Mercer to Play First Home Game of 2021 on Saturday
1/15/2021 2:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Bears will host the Western Carolina Catamounts at 2 p.m.
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears will play in Hawkins Arena for the first time in 2021 tomorrow when they host Western Carolina in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week at 2 p.m.
Fans can purchase tickets to the game for only $4.78 by using code 478Day and clicking here. In addition to ESPN+, select Nexstar affiliates will air the contest. Nexstar affiliates WYCW-TV (Greenville, S.C.), WWCW-TV (Roanoke, Va.) and WMUB (Macon, Ga.) will all broadcast the game. WSPA Sports Director Pete Yanity will provide play-by-play and Dean Keener will serve as analyst for the contest.
BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.
Matchup: Western Carolina (7-1, 0-1 SoCon) at Mercer (7-4, 0-3 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3gVzl4k
Live Stats: bit.ly/2N4SJBb
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Radio: 100.9 The Creek and SportsMic with Rick Cameron on the callÂ
Hawkins Arena Protocols: Click Here
Promotion: 478Day
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina
TODAY'S GAME/LAST TIME OUT
Overcoming a slow start, the Bears used a strong second half to top the Kennesaw State Owls, 81-71, on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Maciej Bender led all scorers with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Warsaw, Poland native hit his first three shots from the floor and set a new career-high in points (21) and field goals made (10). Bender was one of five Bears in double figures. Ross Cummings and Leon Ayers III each contributed 15 points with all of Cummings' points coming in the second half. Felipe Haase and Neftali Alvarez also reached double figures. Today, the Bears will host the Western Carolina Catamounts for the Ingles Socon Game of the Week.
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About THE CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina has been idle since a Dec. 30 contest against ETSU, its lone SoCon game of the season. The Catamounts sport an impressive 7-3 record entering Saturday's game but are 0-1 in Southern Conference action. WCU's squad, coached by Mark Prosser is led by Matt Halvorsen's 16.0 points per game while Mason Faulker (15.9 ppg) and Cory Hightower (15.5 ppg) also average greater than 15 points per game.
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SERIES HISTORY
Through 20 meetings, the series is tied, 10-10.
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MOVING UP THE LIST
Ross Cummings became the 43rd player in Mercer men's basketball history to reach at least 1,000 career points when he made a layup with 5:45 to go against Wofford on Dec. 29. He scored 22 points against Furman to move into 40th all-time. Below are the players he is trying to catch. Prior to Cummings, the last Bear to join the 1,000 point club was Ethan Stair. Stair joined the club last season on Jan. 28 at Samford. The all-time leading scorer is James Florence. Florence played for the Bears from 2006-10 and tallied 2,286 points in his career. Cummings currently sits 38th among Mercer's top scorers and is three points away from sole possession of 37th.
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1,000 Point Scorers
Rk.      Name                         Pts.
33.      Tony Bolds                 1,085
34.      Demetre Rivers          1,065
35.      Steve Moody              1,064
36.      Bud Thomas               1,059
37.      Will Emerson              1,050
38.      Ross Cummings         1,048
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200+ CAREER THREE-POINTERS FOR CUMMINGS
The sharpshooting Cummings is nearing Mercer's all-time three-pointers made record, currently held by fan-favorite Langston Hall. Hall, who led the Bears to a stunning upset of No. 3 Duke in the NCAA Tournament in 2014, knocked down 256 treys. James Florence, the Bears' all-time leading scorer knocked down 242 shots from beyond the arc. Thanks to four against Ga. Southern (Dec. 13), Cummings has sole possession of third all-time on the list. His five three's on Dec. 29 vs. Wofford put him over 200 total. He currently has 212 three-pointers made and is 45 away from the record.
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Rk.      Name                         3's
1         Langston Hall             256
2.        James Florence          242
3.        Ross Cummings         212
4.        E.J. Kusnyer               190
5.        Bud Thomas               161
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CUMMINGS HIGH AMONG ACTIVE SCORING LEADERS
Ross Cummings is among the Southern Conference's active career scoring leaders. He sits just 51 points outside the top-five.
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Name                        School  Yr.      PointsÂ
Isaiah Miller               UNCG  Sr.      1,606
Clay Mounce             Furman Sr.      1,118
David Jean-Baptiste   ETSU   Sr.      1,117
Matt Halvorsen      WCU   Sr.      1,099
Storm Murphy            Wofford  Sr.     1.099
Ross Cummings         Mercer  Sr.       1,048
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ALVAREZ AND GARY LEND A HELPING HAND
Neftali Alvarez is currently leading the Southern Conference in assists at 5.8 assists per contest while Jeff Gary (4.0) is tied for forth (as of publication date). Below are the top-five leaders in the Southern Conference. Gary leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.4:1
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Name             School Games Assists Assists/Game
Neftali Alvarez MERÂ Â Â 9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 49Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5.4
Storm Murphy WOF   11       52       4.7
Mason FaulknerWCUÂ 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4.5
Mike Bothwell FUR    12       48       4.0
Jeff Gary         MER   11       44       4.0
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THREE-POINT STREAKS
Ross Cummings is one of two SoCon men's basketball student-athletes to have a streak of 20+ games with a made three-pointer.
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Player             School            20-21  19-20  18-19  Tot.
Fletcher Abee The Citadel     9         18       X         27
Ross Cummings Mercer         11       6         7         24      Â
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HAASE HITS THE BOARDS
Felipe Haase has made a difference on the glass for Mercer this season. Below is where he ranks among the SoCon's leaders in rebounding
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Rk.      Category        Avg.
3.        Reb./Game     9.5
3.        Def.Reb/Game 7.4
7.        Off.Reb/Game 2.1
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HOME SWEET HOME
Hawkins Arena has been kind to the Bears in recent years. Each of the past two seasons, Mercer has gone 9-6 on their home floor. In 2017-18, the Bears were 11-3 inside Hawkins Arena. Below is Mercer's record at home since the 2016-17 campaign. Mercer is 41-23 at home since that campaign.
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Season          Record          Â
2016-17 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8-7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2017-18 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2018-19 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2019-20 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9-6
2020-21 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4-1
Total              41-23
HOW TO FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Fans can purchase tickets to the game for only $4.78 by using code 478Day and clicking here. In addition to ESPN+, select Nexstar affiliates will air the contest. Nexstar affiliates WYCW-TV (Greenville, S.C.), WWCW-TV (Roanoke, Va.) and WMUB (Macon, Ga.) will all broadcast the game. WSPA Sports Director Pete Yanity will provide play-by-play and Dean Keener will serve as analyst for the contest.
BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.
Matchup: Western Carolina (7-1, 0-1 SoCon) at Mercer (7-4, 0-3 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Hawkins Arena
Tickets: https://bit.ly/3gVzl4k
Live Stats: bit.ly/2N4SJBb
Live Video: ESPN+
Live Radio: 100.9 The Creek and SportsMic with Rick Cameron on the callÂ
Hawkins Arena Protocols: Click Here
Promotion: 478Day
Twitter Updates: @MercerMBB
Game Notes: Mercer | Western Carolina
TODAY'S GAME/LAST TIME OUT
Overcoming a slow start, the Bears used a strong second half to top the Kennesaw State Owls, 81-71, on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Maciej Bender led all scorers with 21 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The Warsaw, Poland native hit his first three shots from the floor and set a new career-high in points (21) and field goals made (10). Bender was one of five Bears in double figures. Ross Cummings and Leon Ayers III each contributed 15 points with all of Cummings' points coming in the second half. Felipe Haase and Neftali Alvarez also reached double figures. Today, the Bears will host the Western Carolina Catamounts for the Ingles Socon Game of the Week.
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About THE CATAMOUNTS
Western Carolina has been idle since a Dec. 30 contest against ETSU, its lone SoCon game of the season. The Catamounts sport an impressive 7-3 record entering Saturday's game but are 0-1 in Southern Conference action. WCU's squad, coached by Mark Prosser is led by Matt Halvorsen's 16.0 points per game while Mason Faulker (15.9 ppg) and Cory Hightower (15.5 ppg) also average greater than 15 points per game.
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SERIES HISTORY
Through 20 meetings, the series is tied, 10-10.
Â
MOVING UP THE LIST
Ross Cummings became the 43rd player in Mercer men's basketball history to reach at least 1,000 career points when he made a layup with 5:45 to go against Wofford on Dec. 29. He scored 22 points against Furman to move into 40th all-time. Below are the players he is trying to catch. Prior to Cummings, the last Bear to join the 1,000 point club was Ethan Stair. Stair joined the club last season on Jan. 28 at Samford. The all-time leading scorer is James Florence. Florence played for the Bears from 2006-10 and tallied 2,286 points in his career. Cummings currently sits 38th among Mercer's top scorers and is three points away from sole possession of 37th.
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1,000 Point Scorers
Rk.      Name                         Pts.
33.      Tony Bolds                 1,085
34.      Demetre Rivers          1,065
35.      Steve Moody              1,064
36.      Bud Thomas               1,059
37.      Will Emerson              1,050
38.      Ross Cummings         1,048
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200+ CAREER THREE-POINTERS FOR CUMMINGS
The sharpshooting Cummings is nearing Mercer's all-time three-pointers made record, currently held by fan-favorite Langston Hall. Hall, who led the Bears to a stunning upset of No. 3 Duke in the NCAA Tournament in 2014, knocked down 256 treys. James Florence, the Bears' all-time leading scorer knocked down 242 shots from beyond the arc. Thanks to four against Ga. Southern (Dec. 13), Cummings has sole possession of third all-time on the list. His five three's on Dec. 29 vs. Wofford put him over 200 total. He currently has 212 three-pointers made and is 45 away from the record.
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Rk.      Name                         3's
1         Langston Hall             256
2.        James Florence          242
3.        Ross Cummings         212
4.        E.J. Kusnyer               190
5.        Bud Thomas               161
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CUMMINGS HIGH AMONG ACTIVE SCORING LEADERS
Ross Cummings is among the Southern Conference's active career scoring leaders. He sits just 51 points outside the top-five.
Â
Name                        School  Yr.      PointsÂ
Isaiah Miller               UNCG  Sr.      1,606
Clay Mounce             Furman Sr.      1,118
David Jean-Baptiste   ETSU   Sr.      1,117
Matt Halvorsen      WCU   Sr.      1,099
Storm Murphy            Wofford  Sr.     1.099
Ross Cummings         Mercer  Sr.       1,048
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ALVAREZ AND GARY LEND A HELPING HAND
Neftali Alvarez is currently leading the Southern Conference in assists at 5.8 assists per contest while Jeff Gary (4.0) is tied for forth (as of publication date). Below are the top-five leaders in the Southern Conference. Gary leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.4:1
Â
Name             School Games Assists Assists/Game
Neftali Alvarez MERÂ Â Â 9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 49Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5.4
Storm Murphy WOF   11       52       4.7
Mason FaulknerWCUÂ 8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 36Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4.5
Mike Bothwell FUR    12       48       4.0
Jeff Gary         MER   11       44       4.0
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THREE-POINT STREAKS
Ross Cummings is one of two SoCon men's basketball student-athletes to have a streak of 20+ games with a made three-pointer.
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Player             School            20-21  19-20  18-19  Tot.
Fletcher Abee The Citadel     9         18       X         27
Ross Cummings Mercer         11       6         7         24      Â
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HAASE HITS THE BOARDS
Felipe Haase has made a difference on the glass for Mercer this season. Below is where he ranks among the SoCon's leaders in rebounding
Â
Rk.      Category        Avg.
3.        Reb./Game     9.5
3.        Def.Reb/Game 7.4
7.        Off.Reb/Game 2.1
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HOME SWEET HOME
Hawkins Arena has been kind to the Bears in recent years. Each of the past two seasons, Mercer has gone 9-6 on their home floor. In 2017-18, the Bears were 11-3 inside Hawkins Arena. Below is Mercer's record at home since the 2016-17 campaign. Mercer is 41-23 at home since that campaign.
Â
Season          Record          Â
2016-17 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 8-7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2017-18 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11-3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2018-19 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
2019-20 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 9-6
2020-21 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4-1
Total              41-23
HOW TO FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerMBB (Twitter), /MercerBasketball (Facebook) and @Mercer_MBB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Players Mentioned
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